Gas explosion levels home, critically injures 3

Craig Hlavaty and Carol Christia, Houston Chronicle

By Craig Hlavaty and Carol Christian

Updated 10:14 pm, Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Firefighters carry a hose after putting out hotspots in the debris of a home that exploded, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home exploded around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Firefighters carry a hose after putting out hotspots in the debris...

Wendy Nickerson looks through a shattered window at her mother's home, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home across the street exploded around 9 a.m. "As soon as I got here, I hugged her," she said of her mom.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Wendy Nickerson looks through a shattered window at her mother's...

Investigators look through the debris after a home exploded, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home exploded around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Investigators look through the debris after a home exploded,...

An investigator walks through the debris after a home exploded, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home exploded around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

An investigator walks through the debris after a home exploded,...

Nikki Pollard stands on her front porch after an explosion shattered her windows, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after a home exploded across the street around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Nikki Pollard stands on her front porch after an explosion...

An investigator looks through the debris after a home exploded, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home exploded around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

An investigator looks through the debris after a home exploded,...

Investigators look through the debris after a home exploded, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home exploded around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Investigators look through the debris after a home exploded,...

An investigator looks through the debris after a home exploded, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home exploded around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

An investigator looks through the debris after a home exploded,...

An investigator balances himself as he walks through the debris after a home exploded, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Dobbin. Two people were transported to the hospital after the home exploded around 9 a.m.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

An investigator balances himself as he walks through the debris...

Volunteers from the Lone Star Cowboy Church, Zach Griffin, left, David Jones, Robert Stokes and Nathan Jones help board up a church member's windows after Tuesday's gas explosion north of Magnolia.
Photo: Cody Duty, Staff

"People were finding things from the house on top of the grocery store, in trees, and at least a half a mile away," said Corbin Mock.

He said the house was leveled to the slab, with debris everywhere.

LP gas exploded

Williams said the blast was fueled by liquid petroleum gas, and that the resulting debris covered an area the size of a football field.

"At this time, investigators suspect that the explosion resulted from a build-up of flammable gases in and around the home," according to a press release from the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office. "But the exact cause has not be determined at this time.'

The family told KPRC (Channel 2) in Houston that the explosion occurred as one of the women turned on the stove while they were preparing breakfast.

Corbin Mock's father and uncle work at Mocks Grocery Store, which is within walking distance of the home.

Kenny Mock, co-owner of the store with his brother, said the blast blew out four of the store's windows and knocked a lot of merchandise off shelves.

The first person to arrive at the scene was a Consolidated Communications employee working in a building across the street, investigators said. He and a Department of Public Safety trooper were joined by area residents and passers-by to rescue the victims, the press release states.

David Jones, who lives about a mile away, said his wife heard the blast at their home. He and three other men from Lone Star Cowboy Church brought plywood to board up shattered windows on neighbors' houses.

The fire marshal and the Texas Railroad Commission will be conducting a joint investigation into the cause of this explosion and fire. The commission is the state agency charged with regulating LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas.

Dobbin, about halfway between Conroe and Navasota, has about 300 residents.